Rays ride five-run fourth inning past Padres 9‑4

TAMPA, Fla. (Interstat) — Yandy Díaz homered and the Tampa Bay Rays used a five-run fourth inning to beat the San Diego Padres 9-4 on Friday at George Steinbrenner Field.

Shane McClanahan (10-6) picked up the win, allowing three hits and three earned runs over 5 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Casey Mize (5-8) took the loss for San Diego, giving up six hits and two earned runs in five innings.

Díaz finished 2 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs. Cedric Mullins also homered and drove in two runs, going 1 for 4. Jackson Merrill went 2 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs for the Padres.

Tampa Bay led 1-0 entering the fourth before scoring five times. That inning included a fielder’s choice, a sacrifice fly, and RBI singles by Taylor Walls and Díaz. The Rays added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh. San Diego scored two in the fifth and two in the sixth.

The Rays improved to 80-55, while San Diego fell to 72-63. Attendance was 16,470, and the game lasted 2:33.